What does it mean to be an effective communicator?

17th October 2018 by Becky

When you ask a mission-led entrepreneur about what the most important element of their work is, they will say (one would hope) that making a difference to their clients trumps all other considerations. When you probe what elements are most important to enable this work, usually the response is ‘money’, followed by ‘more money’ and then ‘a skilled and dedicated team’. Rarely does communications make it to the top of that priority list. This is reflected in how leadership teams respond during times of financial difficulties – one of the first things to be chopped during budget cuts is marketing and communications.

And yet how an organisation – be that a business or a charity – communicates affects every single aspect of its work, including the credibility and authority it enjoys, its reputation as an employer or its ability to be able to generate income.

Why all the fuss about communications?

If an organisation is not being taken seriously, is finding it difficult to find customers, partners and suppliers, or is struggling to generate enough interest in what it has to offer, it might not be the standard of the work that is the issue, but the way in which it talks about what it does.

From the way in which the team interacts with each other and their stakeholders, through to the way the organisation presents itself on and offline, through to how social media is used to broadcast rather than have conversations – every single way in which an organisation communicate impacts on how others perceive it, and whether or not they hear (and listen) to what it has to say.

Slack Communications exists specifically to help mission-led entrepreneurs and their organisations shout about their work. Through our affordable and cost-effective consultancy, coaching and training services, we can help you reach new and bigger audiences, generate more income and strengthen your reputation.

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